


Hawthorn Bakes the Sweetest Bread

by QuinsValoria



Series: Mokuton Naruto [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Mokuton, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Child, Sensor Uzumaki Naruto, Title from Poetry, Unreliable Narrator, dont expect much, i work on it when I want to write but dont have the energy to work on a more serious project so like, i'm not gonna lie this fic is my procrastination project, mokuton user uzumaki naruto, starting from birth and ending???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27457198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuinsValoria/pseuds/QuinsValoria
Summary: Even hardened ANBU have problems standing back and ignoring the blatant neglect going on in front of them. What the Hokage doesn't know won't hurt him.ORSometimes family is a baby and the squad of career killers assigned to protect him by the current reigning military dictator.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Uchiha Mikoto & Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto & Original Female Character(s), Uzumaki Naruto & Original Male Character(s)
Series: Mokuton Naruto [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1401967
Comments: 92
Kudos: 295





	1. Year One

**Author's Note:**

> Birch and fir logs burn too fast  
> Blaze up bright and do not last,  
> it is by the Irish said  
> Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.  
> Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,  
> E'en the very flames are cold  
> But ash green or ash brown  
> Is fit for a queen with golden crown
> 
> -Excerpt from The Firewood Poem by Celia Congreve, 1930

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's first year

That Boy grows up in a small room off the South corridor of _Madam Koishi's Home For Orphaned Children._

He's been here as long as he can remember, with his white walls and his little window and his shadows for company.

He's very lucky to have his own room! Most of the babies his age are all in the same room, to make it easier for the Neechans to change diapers and feed everyone.

Sometimes he gets forgotten. He lays on his blanket, hearing them chattering away down the hall, waiting patiently for his turn. Sometimes, they keep walking.

He tries not to cry, the pretty Neechans frown when he cries, but sometimes he can't _help_ it, when he's hungry or his diaper is full.

One time, he cried because just really really needed to see one of the Neechans, and when came and she saw he didn't need a diaper she just put him down again and left, and didn’t come back the rest of the day no matter how much he bawled.

It's okay though, because that's when he first meets his shadows.

Big people, as big as the Neechans, but with faces that don't move and hard black clothes.

That first day, he meets Raccoon, whose face is hard but who feeds him and changes his diaper and cuddles him, letting him chew on his rough fingers.

He's gone when he wakes up, but that's okay, so are the Neechans most of the time.

He meets more shadows after that. 

Hawk feels like she's smiling when he babbles at her and she teaches him to talk with his hands, Dragon who chatters almost as much as he does, and Raccoon again, who is quiet-like-nighttime but nice.

His favorite is Dog, who sings sometimes, lullabies that feel like something he's heard before, but deeper, softer. He hums along sometimes, and when he does, Dog pets his head and sometimes is even there when he wakes up again, though he always goes before the Neechans come to feed him.

It's funny, after his shadows come, the Neechans never forget him again.

His shadows feel a lot warmer than the Neechans, skin almost buzzing, like when he scoots on the carpet until his hair stands on end. In comparison, the Neechans feel flat and boring.

He learns all kinds of new words then, like "food" and "mask" and "fuck". He doesn't know what the last one means but Dragon seems to like it a lot. He makes sure to remember it just for her.

He says it to Dog who seems less impressed than Dragon would be. He doesn't talk as much, so Boy doesn't know what _his_ favorite word is. He tries again with 'Dog', and Dog lets him sleep on his chest that night, his buzz feeling unusually warm. Boy thinks that one might be it.

Dog starts calling him Pup, and Boy thinks that might be _his_ favorite.

They start making him move, tickling him until he grumpily rolls away, then making him scoot or crawl to come see them. When he gets really cranky they scoop him up and cuddle, and sometimes they bring him sweet things called 'cookies' to chew on.

He's always a little sad when they leave, slipping out the window to sit on the wall outside, or to sit on the roof with Hawk. It's okay, even if he can't see them he can still feel them, a kind of tingly taste on his tongue. He tries licking them to see if that makes the taste any different. It doesn't, but it makes Hawk laugh which is even better, so that's okay.

They still feel like they're watching him, though he's not sure how. He thinks maybe they can see through walls, 'cause Hawk came to check on him once when he bumped his head when he fell trying to pull himself up with one of the empty shelves.

After Dog, Hawk is his favorite. Her hand words and moving games make him feel less buzzy and itchy, and she always helps him fall asleep after, lifting her mask a little to press a kiss to his forehead before she leaves.

When they leave, he 'watches' them as long as he can, clinging to that 'taste' until he falls asleep or they get too far away.

It gets easier, eventually. He's glad. He's much happier when they're where he can 'see' them.

When his gums get sore Dragon makes her fingers buzz cold and green and lets him chew on them for a bit. They stop hurting when he does this which makes her his favorite for a few days, at least until Dog demonstrates a similar talent a few days later. He feels a little smug about something, which is weird.

Raccoon and Dog both help him stand, then walk a little. Raccoon brings a red dot thing that's really fun to chase, even if Dog smacks him and says something about "not an animal". Boy doesn't know what the big deal is, and so ignores the issue entirely.

Boy learns he's also called Naruto. He likes it, but still likes 'Pup' better.

Pup is now one year old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can yall tell i have no experience with kids? lmao


	2. Year Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto discovers birthdays. Things change.

Today, Pup learns about birthdays.

All four of his shadows come that day! Usually it's only one or two, but today they all come to say hello, and Dog sits with him even when the Neechan brings him food!

The Neechan doesn't seem to like Dog so much, squeaking and dropping the food. Dog catches it and sends her away.

Naruto doesn't mind, Dog is better at it anyway. 

They bring a little white “cake” with a shiny “candle” they won't let him touch no matter how much he frowns.

He gets over it when Hawk swipes a finger over the top and sticks it in his mouth. His go huge in surprise. It’s sweet! Much cooler than little lights he’s not even allowed to taste.

He takes big handfuls and tries to stuff them both in his mouth at once. It doesn’t really work, but he makes do.

There's a little flash of light and he looks up to see Dragon putting something away in her pouch. Less important than cake.

Eventually he gets bored of mashing the slippery filling around and crawls toward Hawk, who is closest.

She crouches and scoops him up, sitting him on one of her knees and holding the back of his shirt to wipe at his face and hands with a tissue.

He flails irritably until she gives up and hands him to Dog, who puts him in a fresh shirt. He gives him a big smile and Dog ‘smiles’ back, buzz twisting in amusement.

He’s presented with a little squishy animal from each shadow. Dog informs him that his squishy is a dog, earning him a skeptical look. It doesn't buzz? He thinks that Dog is being a little silly, but if it makes him happy he’ll agree. He pats his foot in thanks before squeezing it. it smells like him.

They show him fireworks in the window until he gets too sleepy to stay awake, then put him to bed on his cushion with a new soft blanket and his new stuffed animals. He sleeps better than he ever has before, warm comfy and surrounded by the smells and buzz of all his favorite people.

He stirs once when there's yelling somewhere outside but Raccoon goes to deal with it and it goes quiet so he goes right back to sleep.

.

Naruto’s shadows start visiting less and less. 

He doesn't notice at first, still feeling them in the surrounding area, on the roof, or outside. They still check on him frequently enough, but they start coming inside less and less, staying away most of the time unless he really _really_ needs something. 

With warmer weather another tooth comes, and no matter how much he cries, neither Dog nor Dragon come to fix it, though he finds a cold hard ring left by his bed the next day, and an experimental chew deems it satisfactory.

Dog still comes in late at night when he’s supposed to be sleeping and cuddles him for a bit until he falls asleep again.

His stuffies never stop smelling like _them_ , so he thinks maybe they come in when he’s asleep and tuck him in. The thought makes him happy.

It's a little bit lonely.

He misses learning words with Dragon and games with Hawk and Racoon who was stinky like outside and he misses Dog.

He runs and runs in circles, running fingers on the wood shelf, throwing himself into and off of walls, eventually flopping down in an exhausted sprawl, napping wherever he falls. He babbles to himself and pulls at his toes and he’s so very very bored.

Eventually, he gets tired of this and curls up on his mat with his stuffies and listens to his shadows’ buzz, watching them flit around, feels them hum with something like _sad_. He wishes he could hug them so they'd feel better, but they're staying farther than he's ever remembered them.

He gets even better at seeing them! Eventually, they don’t go anywhere he can't see them.

He notices eventually that the Neechans buzz too, just way, _way_ quieter than his shadows do. 

He tries to learn the differences in them like his shadows, watches them walk around and wriggle around with _feelings._

There's four distinct Neechans, which is funny because he's only ever met one, the tired-looking one with the nervous buzz. Her buzz goes bright when she arrives, and dims over the day, and by the time she gets around to him in the evening, she looks tired and pale. 

He tries hugging her once to make her feel better but she just sparks sharply with nerves and pats him carefully, rushing through the rest and all but running away. He doesn't do it again, he doesn't like the way her face goes.

He doesn't do anything for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little angsty, but it doesnt last past this chapter, dont worry!
> 
> Note: reuploaded chapter because i goofed


	3. Year Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto discovers the outdoors and all that it offers.

The weather gets colder again, and before long, Naruto turns two years old.

He’s surprised to get another birthday, he didn't know those happened more than once!

For the whole day it's like it used to be, and they stay with him. There's another little cake, this time brown inside. The squiggles on top are ‘orange’ like happy buzzing. He decides it's his favorite color.

Dog offers him a bucket of ‘crayons’ and some big ‘paper sheets’, while Hawk gives him ‘paint’ and Raccoon gives him a bucket of something called ‘clay’. It's slippery and squishy and he likes it a lot. it doesn't taste very good though, so he decides it isn't worth eating.

Dragon brings him some ‘books’ for his shelf and talks with him endlessly. They all do really, like they're trying to make up for lost time. He doesn’t think they put him down once the whole day and he's perfectly happy with it. Even Raccoon drops a kiss to his forehead once or twice.

It's the best day he's ever had.

He falls asleep in the afternoon on Hawk’s shoulder and cries when she tries to put him down, clinging to her chest plate. She shushes him and stops trying to put him down. She smells a little like saltwater and her hands shake when she rubs his back. 

Dog sings to him for the first time in a long time, Hawk humming softly along. It's a little rusty at first like he hasn't done it in a while, but it goes smooth before the third verse.

He sleeps, and not even the fireworks wake him.

(As he sleeps, the four exchange sign and frustrated looks, carefully keeping their chakra quiet to avoid disturbing their unusually sensitive charge. The Hokage's ruling says they’re not to interfere with the care he receives from _the most excellent madam Koishi_ , but this is ridiculous. This is the most vibrant the boy has been since his last birthday, they think, and when Hawk had gone to put him down like she was leaving, the toddler had gone into panicked hysterics. It was heartbreaking.) 

Just as his last birthday had seemed to change things, this one did too.

Unlike before, they began visiting more often than before, talking and playing. They touch him a lot more, little cuddles and hair ruffles and kisses. He always accepts them but sometimes they get a little bit _much_ and he goes and crawls under the blankets. He gets used to it eventually and even seeks them out himself, offering his arms for a hug.

Now most of the time, they watch him inside his room where he can see them. They still leave him sometimes, going and doing odd laps around the whole building, but they're well in his view so it's okay.

.

On her days Dragon teaches him new words and reads to him from his books, sitting him in her lap and following the words on the page with one finger. 

He becomes enthralled in the stories of witches and forest spirits and bathhouses for the gods and he does his very best to remember them. 

It's hard, but he does his best. At night when he's alone, he tells them to himself, practicing them and falling into dreams of somewhere else. 

.

Dog still sings sometimes, or tells him different stories, about his teacher and his old team and his big sister who taught him the songs. He'll tell him about ramen and date night and silly prank Jutsu.

Sometimes Dog does handwords he doesn't know to show him illusions of butterflies or the night sky. It's so much bigger than his window that he feels small, like he’s the size of a grain of rice or his fingernails.

It feels weird but he loves it anyway because it's _Dog_ who shows him.

He learns the buzz has a name too, called _chakra_. The reason his shadows have a bigger buzz than the Neechans is because they’re ninjas, and ninjas have more chakra. The Neechans are apparently called caretakers!

He learns a lot of words on those days.

.

Raccoon’s days are quiet days.

He’s much calmer than the others, his chakra a soft shadow of dark blue. just looking at it makes Naruto feel sleepy. 

They spend those days eating snacks his friend sends with him and napping. Raccoon’s friend gives him way too many sweets, and he leaves any leftovers with Naruto.

It's nice.

.

Hawk spends her days teaching him little clapping games and rhymes, drawing on the floor in chalk and cleaning it up later.

She tells him she has a little girl his age at home, calling her “Hina” and smiling.

He draws her a picture once, of him and her and a tiny her named Hina, mask and all.

He isn't sure why she laughs, but she thanks him and accepts it so he decides not to be offended.

.

He tries one of Dog’s special ninja handwords on a day by himself and feels his insides wiggle like bugs. He stops immediately and the wiggle stops too. He looks intently down at himself and realizes with a lot of surprise that he buzzes too! 

He isn't sure how he missed the feeling now he can see it, a coolness mostly behind his belly button like it was always there, just as much as the nose on his face.

(At the thought he immediately crosses his eyes to check it's still there. It is.)

He kind of… pokes the feeling. It moves under the attention, seeming to move just a little lower towards his knees. It tingles!

Delighted, he pushes it harder, all the way to his toes, and ‘watches’ it trickle back on its own.

He watches it for a long time. He decides it feels kind of like sink water, flowing around and through 'pipes'. Sometimes it gets caught in the little ‘bends’ and he frowns, squishing down on them hard until any little bumps in the flow go smooth.

It feels so nice! It's like he had had to pee without realizing and now he was fine! Kinda tired though.

He has a nap.

.

Later when the feeling comes back, after he does his arms and head and his hands and has no other way to spread the feeling out, he discovers that when he does lots of Hawk’s exercises or runs lots and lots it does the same thing. Sort of.

.

The next time Dog shows him fireflies he watches how his ‘chakra’ folds and tries to mimic it. it doesn't do anything but it feels funny and bubbly so he keeps trying.

.

One night he can't stop fidgeting and wiggling and smacks the floor with one buzzing hand and it sticks. He panics and yanks and it comes free with a pop. 

He looks at it and the floor and tries it again, but harder. This time it bounces and he laughs gleefully, doing it a few more times.

Suddenly he doesn't feel fidgety anymore and falls asleep.

The next day he shows his discovery to Hawk who feels funny and bright like he’d just hit her - not that he would! - then tells him he's doing excellent and teaches him a bunch of new exercises. They work _way_ better than the last ones.

.

It's around this time that, for the first time, he leaves his room.

His Neechan has a 'nervous breakdown' and he meets a different one, a wrinkly and stern Neechan that the others call Hikari-san. 

One day in the morning Hikari-neechan comes to get him in the morning, plonking him down in the play area out front and leaving him there to play. He sits there for quite a while, taking in the place. 

There's an open area of shortly cut grass interspersed with clover and dandelions. It's a little damp to the touch and smells like Raccoon does, but sweeter, less bitter. He runs his fingers through the strands, delighted for no particular reason. 

He's the only one there since Hikari-neechan went back inside and the other kids are still at the inside playroom. He can feel his Masks buzzing just out of sight, Hawk and Dog today. It gives him the courage to explore the area, climbing to his feet and wandering around the side, finding a discarded ball and rolling it around before going back to the grass.

The outside is just, so big.

He rolls around, burying his hands in the wet dirt, smushing his face into the green and inhaling, almost swallowing a bug in his enthusiasm.

Eventually he just flops on his back, spread eagle and basks in the cool wet feeling, giggling helplessly at the tiny tickling buzz of the ground, the individual plants overlapping into a blanket of noise.

It's comforting in a way his room never was and he finds himself falling asleep right there and then.

He wakes up to Dog scooping him up and bringing him back in and whines but doesn't fuss. He suffers through the bath with sleepy grace and scarfs his rice before passing out to the tune of Dog's amusement. 

_He gets to do it again the next day._

He wiggles in excitement when Hikari-neechan scoops him up after breakfast, bearing the scolding smack across the diaper easily because _outside oh my god._

When she sets him down he immediately face plants with a happy shriek. He feels a reluctant little touch of amusement from Hikari-neechan before she goes back inside.

There's _colors_ and _smells_ and so much he hasn't seen before and _haaaah_.

He doesn't think he'll ever get bored of this.

.

Maybe he spoke a little soon.

Not that this isn't awesome! Running on grass is _way_ funner than on wood flooring but there isn't really a lot to _do_ out here. He wanders around the edge of the fence.

He notices that someone left the gate latch open and is _very very_ tempted. 

He goes for it. Who knows, maybe there's even cooler grass on the other side? His masks follow him but don't stop him, which means it's probably fine.

Everything is just, so much.

So much.

He sees dozens and dozens of people, new smells and he can taste food on the air and wanders that way curiously.

Mostly people don't see him, but one or two do and scuttle away, feeling scared. He doesn't see why, as long as the masks are here there's no reason to be scared.

It's going awesome, and he's weaving around carefully when he runs headfirst into a man going the opposite way. He oofs and falls on his butt.

He looks up and meets his eyes and.

The man is red in the face, smells sharply of _something_ stinky and when he sees Naruto his face does something funny and his chakra goes _white._

_(White like the walls of his room, like soap in his eyes, like cold nights, like bleach.)_

_(White like pain.)_

The man goes to kick him and then Dog is standing in front of him and staring the man down and then he's surrounded by blistering anger and _white is everywhere._

He grabs at Dog's leg and then Hawk is there too, scooping him up and he whooshes away and the white is gone.

He cries.

She cuddles him and hums one of Dog’s songs until he calms down

Eventually he realizes they're squirreled up a tree, really far up. Hawk is sticking to the bark, straddling a huge branch, one knee hiked up behind his back.

He's immediately distracted, tears forgotten. He puts a hand to the biggest grass he's ever seen. It's even taller than he is, taller than _Dog_ even. 

He touches it and it's so much _more_ than the grass. He'd swear to anyone who asked that it touched him right back, pressing against his hand.

(Behind her mask, Hawk makes a relieved face. Crisis averted.)

He leans as far into the contact as possible, twisting off of Hawk so his arms and legs can wrap around the branch while Hawk keeps a hand stuck to his back so he won't fall.

They stay there until Dog comes to get them, cocking his head at the toddler cuddling a tree with Hawk awkwardly squatted behind him. She shrugs bemusedly, only gesturing to his blissful face smooshed into the bark.

They let him stay until it's obvious he has no intention of ever leaving and scoop him up. He whines and Dog finds him a big stick so he cuddles that instead.

Despite the previous upset, he sleeps well that night, surrounded by stuffed animals and stick in hand. It makes him feel happy.

.

A few days later he meets someone new. The old man with the big hat says his name is Hiruzen Sarutobi but says Naruto should call him Jiji. His chakra feels nice and he brings Naruto a new stick and a cookie so he's okay.

He carries him everywhere for a day, introducing him around, buying him some new colors and all 'for his patience'.

No one seems to really like him but they meet a few people that feel just as nice as him, and they run into Dragon who has a different face on and different clothes.

He boggles at that while she winks at him and introduces him to her Itachi and to Sasuke, who is about the same size as him. Jiji calls her Mikoto.

She buys him a little cat mask and he tries to hold it up to her face and she gently corrects him, putting it on him instead, sitting on his forehead at an angle.

They eat lunch that way, getting ramen at a stall with a girl who coos at him and Sasuke and sneaks them bits of rice cake.

Naruto smiles from his place in Jiji’s lap but hides his face in his robes when it gets to be too much. Sasuke absorbs the attention with enthusiasm bordering on mania, splashing bits of noodles onto his older brother who bears it with a lot more dignity than most 7-year-olds and wipes his face.

Eventually Mikoto peels off with her kids, her and Itachi bowing to Jiji and flicking her fingers at him the same way she does to say goodbye in the mask. Little Sasuke waves enthusiastically over her shoulder.

Naruto waves back, smiling brightly.

The last place they visit is called “Yamanaka Flowers” and it is _heaven_.

A riot of colors and smells and there are so many flowers it saturates the air with chakra. There is a bitter herby smell floating from the back room that makes him think of Raccoon, like maybe the man spent some of his time here, he doesn't see him, or any of his masks nearby which is strange, but they're still close enough he can _see_ them so it's fine. 

He toddles around the displays of greenery under the keen eye of an older blond man and a smaller blond girl in an apron.

He nearly cries when the flower lady helps him gently pet the petals of a big sunflower.

This is _so much better_ than the stick, full of color and so alive. 

When it's time to leave he must look heartbroken because the man carefully wraps one of the big orange lilies and tucks it into his hand, telling him to put it in water or it won't last, okay?

He nods seriously and carefully cradles it to his chest.

He hears the sales girl teasing the man about an Ino-chan as they leave 

Jiji wooshes them home and helps him set up a glass of water for his flower before handing him off to Dog, who waits with him and sings him to sleep.

It's his best birthday yet.


	4. Year Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto saves the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Candlenights! As a special treat, I've updated several of my stories all at once, so please check them out!  
> \- KHR Ajin!AU, "On Heaven and Earth"  
> \- KHR Mafia Princess!AU, "Pearl is the Gem of Queens"  
> \- MDZS Fox!WWX AU, "From the Trickster to the Fox"  
> \- Naruto Mokuton!AU, "Hawthorn Bakes the Sweetest bread"

He lasts three days playing with his chakra staring at white walls before he breaks, digging out his new colors and attacking the walls. He isn’t supposed to draw not-on-paper, but it's so _white_ he can't stand it anymore.

He tries on paper first to make sure he has it right, then starts to draw the flowers he saw, starting in the corner.

He doesn't think it's quite right, but it's way better than the blank white so he doodles, starting with the lilies since he still has one in his window sill. (Raccoon has promised to show him how to press it when it starts to wilt.)

He does sunflowers and Daf-oh-dills and a whole little garden of spiky cactus in one corner.

He manages to get the whole bottom edge done but can't quite reach the rest and gives the wall the stinkiest eye for being too tall. He sits down and squints at it to try and decide what to do next.

After a few minutes of thought he remembers how his Masks would sit against the wall outside when they were trying to be sneaky. They'd somehow make themselves super sticky, but not with glue.

He thinks it must be done with chakra since most cool ninja tricks are like that and the caretakers definitely can't do this one.

He remembers, now he's thinking about it, that Hawk had stuck her hand to his back when he was meeting the tree. It had felt a little tingly and funny but not really any different from her regular chakra.

He tries matching the feeling with the wall slapping both hands they half stick before just sliding off. He keeps trying and gets more and more frustrated with the exercise.

He gets so frustrated he just smacks his hands to the wall. 

They fly off with a sharp bang.

He staggers back and falls on his butt. He stares at the wall and the tiny finger-shaped dents. Less stuck, more chakra pushed away.

"Oh."

He scoots forward again, carefully touching his hand to the wall.

He tries exactly between the two. The wall makes a funny kind of crunchy sound but doesn't stick. It doesn't push him away either. 

He scrunches his and tries just a little less, and it feels like it's sucking onto his fingers but it still slides. He tries just a _tiny_ bit less, and-

Yes!

He pulls and they stay right where he put them.

He tries to pull himself up and it's super uncomfortable but it works. He tries with the other hand and sticks his tongue out to focus. It's a little harder than one hand, but not too bad.

He crawls his way up the wall as fast as his arms can carry him. He reaches the bare wall and crows in triumph. Now if he can just get his color- both his hands are full.

He looks down at his colors in betrayal. As if to add insult to injury, as soon as he looks away his hands decide to stop sticking and he drops down hard onto his butt.

He scowls at the wall. Rude!!

He doesn't kick the wall because Dog says he's a big boy and big boys shouldn't kick or bite unless they really need to (Raccoon called him a hip-oh-crit for it and Dog said a bad word back).

He tries again because he’s no quitter!

Maybe if he tries sticking his knees to the wall too he can let go with one hand?

He tries that and it's much harder than just his hands. He slides down a few times, feeling winded in a good way. It's like when he first learned to move his chakra and needed lots of naps after. 

It feels good to use, and he has fun just crawling around until he gets tired. Sliding onto his feet and flopping onto his back to pant. He drowses there until lunch.

Hawk flits in when he's mostly asleep to lay him down on his blankets. 

.

The next day Dog ruffles his hair and draws ink on his walls, pretty black scribbles up in the corners by the ceiling. He tries to get a closer look and falls, but instead of bruising his butt, he bounces like a bouncy ball. He is, of course, immediately distracted and forgets the writing entirely. 

.

A little cactus shows up on his window sill, a little round thing with so many spines it looks fuzzy. 

He feels it when he wakes up, something cool and kind of sleepy like Racoon. He nearly shrieks when he sees it (but _doesn’t_ because it feels like Raccoon and he doesn't like noise).

He races over anyway and uses a little chakra hold to get eye level with it, clutching at the sill with both hands. 

He lets go with one hand to give it a little exploratory stroke. It's prickly enough to sting and he sticks his bleeding finger in his mouth, face twisting in a wide grin.

He feels it’s, her? Her chakra ripples a little when he touches her, a soft poke back as she wakes up just a little.

“So cool,” he whispers gleefully, “‘gonna call you Hari-chan, since you’re all spikey, 'k?”

He hears Dragon snicker faintly somewhere over his head and ignores her because _hello new roommate!!_ Much more important.

He _insists_ on taking care of Hari-chan all by himself, shooing off a bemused Dog when he tries to water her. 

It’s too soon! She isn’t thirsty! Do you know _anything?_

He preens when she starts growing bigger, making little purple flowers that smell faintly sweet. Racoon seems impressed too, or maybe confused, very gently touching one with his pinky and patting his head.

He is let out in the yard most days but when he’s stuck inside he’s glad to have her to keep him company. It's nice having a friend that just likes him no matter what.

.

Hawk’s chakra is wrong.

He stares at her, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what it is.

She hums questioningly as she washes paint out of his hair.

He puts a hand on her stomach over her chakra core, trying to feel better.

She goes still and lets him, feeling amused.

There’s something there, a little flicker of color that's _different_ , sending sparks of white along her ‘veins’

“Fireworks.” he murmurs, ‘staring’ at the flash. “you’ve got Fireworks in your chakra.”

“I have what?” she asks, looking down at him.

“Fireworks,” he insists, poking a finger right at the spot it's coming from, a little below her belly button and just slightly to the left. “Right here.”

Her chakra does the ‘on watch’ thing and she looks down at herself. She sucks in a breath through her teeth, feeling sharp with surprise. She puts a hand on her stomach, getting shampoo on her armor.

“Ha,” she says, surprised. “I suppose I do.”

.

Hawk is off shift the next day and comes back buzzing with excitement.

“you’re right, Naru-chan,” she says, quietly gleeful. “I do have _Hanabi_ inside of me.”

She sits him down and carefully explains how she’s something called “pregnant” which is kinda like how some plants grow seeds to make new plants, but instead of growing in the ground, the ‘new plant’ is growing in her belly, and will make a new baby like Hina-chan.

He is _delighted._

“Am _I_ gonna carry seeds too?” he asks hopefully.

She giggles helplessly. “Not quite, Naru-chan, though you can help me with mine?”

That seems like kind of a raw deal to him, but whatever.

She explains as well that in a few months when she starts to have a big belly she’s gonna need to be away for a while until her little firework is “ripe” and “ready to pick”.

She keeps giggling in a faintly hysterical way she doesn’t usually so he just nods seriously and pats her flat belly like it's Hari-chan, promising to himself to look after her plant baby until she’s ready.

.

Naruto keeps a very close eye on them, watching the fireworks grow into something a lot more like a candle, then a tiny bonfire still cradled in Hawk’s chakra system. Hawk is very patient with him and lets him check on them every morning she’s on watch. Once about four weeks in she feels a tiny bit weak and fluttery, but Naruto gives her a tiny poke and she rouses to poke him back, so he thinks she’s fine.

Hawk hasn't said so, but Naruto’s _pretty_ sure that the baby is a girl. She feels like a girl anyway, doesn’t have the same… _boyness_ as Dog and Raccoon and Hokage-jiji. 

They both are doing fine seven months later when she tells him she needs to leave and wait for her firework to come.

He makes her pinky promise to come introduce him to Hanabi when she’s done and she only laughs a little bit before agreeing, so that’s okay.

.

He watches them from a distance while Hawk is on leave, not a lot, but checking on them whenever he thinks about it, half aware of them while doing other things.

He might be one of the first to realize it when labor starts, at 3 in the afternoon, heralded by a little shivery tremor on the back of his neck that startles him in the middle of a portrait of Hari-chan.

“Hanabi is coming.” he announces to thin air, eyes focused on nothing.

Dragon and Raccoon trade looks from where they're sitting, signing something quickly and Dragon flickers off to check. 

Naruto ignores her completely, his attention focused on that flickery chakra. He wiggles as close as he can to the wall, sitting cross-legged, staring past a patch of crayon bluebells.

Dog alights on the window sill about 10 minutes later, sliding in with a smooth movement.

“Hawk sent me,” he announces. “A runner came looking for Dragon but apparently our baby sensor got there first. I'm relieving her.”

“It’s happening then?” Racoon asks, eyeing Naruto's weird vigil.

“It is,” he agrees, raising an eyebrow at the faintly creepy sight. “Started not even five minutes ago to my knowledge. Imagine that.”

Racoon makes a thoughtful noise and settles into silence.

Dog moves to crouch by Naruto.

“It's going to be a while.” he says quietly. “Labor can take hours, days even sometimes.”

He nods distractedly and doesn't move.

Dog studies him, then seems to come to a decision.

He makes a couple of hand signs and there's a poof of chakra smoke.

Naruto startles and looks over his shoulder, eyes going wide.

“Puppies?!” he squeaks, hopefully. There are four of them, two big fluffy white ones, one with a squished face, and one with floppy ears.

Kakashi hummed agreeably and the squished face one makes a noise of offense.

“Excuse you I'm three years old, hardly a puppy-”

He goes down under a pile of excited three-year-old that _oh my god you can talk this is the best thing ever-_

They managed to distract him for a couple of hours, chasing him and each other around, one of the larger ones, Bull, even deigning to give him a ride, sticking him to his back with chakra and sprinting around the room, up the walls and briefly over the ceiling to his noisy delight.

Eventually they all end up sprawled in a pile of sweaty fur and panting, Naruto dozily watching again, this time half under Pakkun.

He naps, thoroughly drained.

He sleeps through most of the night right there, inhaling fur and uncomfortably warm.

.

He comes awake with a screech like he’s fallen into ice water, flailing and probably kicking at least one of his bedmates. Someone yelps and then Dog is standing over him, untangling him from the pack.

“Easy,” he soothes, rocking him. “You’re alright pup, it’s okay-”

“No!” he wails, “something’s wrong with Hawk!” he tries to squirm loose for a few futile seconds before clutching at his armor instead.

“She’s okay-” Dog tries, soothingly.

“No!” he wails again, kicking. “She’s _not_!”

Dog looks desperately at Racoon who looks thoughtful.

“Why do you think that, Pup?”

“Because she's _not-_!”

“What do you _feel_ , Naru?” Racoon asks, running a hand down his back.

“She’s all _bad_ and _white_ and she’s gonna go _out_!!”

Racoon visibly thinks for a second, then sucks in a breath.

“If there was a sudden chakra bleed-” 

“-Go.” Dog orders, “We’ll follow soon.”

He ‘poofs’ away, and Dog crouches and hushes him, dogs crowding them.

“You did very good telling us Naru,” he whispers. “Racoon is gonna go tell them, but I need you to try and calm down for me, okay?”

Dog blankets him with chakra, physically wrapping him in a blanket to try and smother his chakra sense like a white noise generator. It helps, and he slows, sniffling and hiccupping wetly.

“Good job pup,” he praises, relieved. “Can you be brave for me a little longer? We might need your help.”

He nods, chewing on his knuckles.

“Sometimes,” he explains, “When a shinobi - _has a baby_ , one of their chakra coils gets a little damaged, so they bleed a little, but not outside where we can see it. It takes someone _really_ sensitive like you to see when it happens. You did really, really good telling us Pup, by now, I bet you a medic is already working on fixing it, now that they know what's going on, understand?”

He nods again.

“So what we're gonna do, is we're gonna go to the hospital and pick out a toy for her and Hanabi-chan, and I need you to do something for me, okay? I need you to give it a whole bunch of Naruto hugs while we wait, that way she can have as many Naruto hugs as she wants while she gets better. Can you do that for me?”

He nods more vigorously now, looking determined.

(‘Nailed it,’ Kakashi thinks.)

He stands, blanket-wrapped bundle and all, eyes flickering around briefly. He's got emergency pull-ups and snacks already in a seal, anything else they can probably get at the hospital gift shop, right?

Bull trots over with a bucket of crayons and he nods in agreement.

He eyes the cactus for a hot minute, wondering if the calming factor was worth being laughed at by his coworkers, and decides against it.

He takes them the long way around, using the walk and the night air to calm him down and waste a little time. 

The slow rhythmic sway lulls him to sleep, to his relief. He doesn't know how long it will last, being in the hospital around so many people in pain. He puts it off as long as possible before giving up, swinging by Ichiraku’s just as they’re getting ready to close for the night.

To his credit, Teuchi doesn't scream at the frazzled looking ANBU invading entirely too late at night, only jumping a little and brandishing his broom.

He spies the splotchy, red-faced blond and softens.

“I’m sorry to ask but-”

“-Two for the road?” He interrupts, voice quiet.

Dog nods, relieved at the patient response.

“Two miso please, extra chashu and egg if you can, neither of us have had dinner.”

He nods and gets to work.

“Long day?” He asks, peering at the bundle of three-year-old. “He’s out like a light.”

“He got a bit of a scare earlier,” he confides. “Got to be the hero and everything, but scared the tar out of us all, we’re going to the hospital to check on our friend now.” 

He winces. “That bad huh? Hope they're okay.”

About twenty minutes later everything is packed.

“I put a little something extra in that’ll keep better than ramen,” he tells him as he passes it over. “-in case the kid doesn't wake up or you’re there a while, the food you can get there isn't worth the plate it's served on.”

He bows gratefully as best he can without waking Naruto, promising to himself to bring him a bottle of sake or something.

“You’re a lifesaver Teuchi-san,” he tells him.

He waves away the thanks. “I got kids, and that one has been through enough already, poor thing. I'd like to do what I can. Tell him I said hello, okay?”

He seals the bag into a seal on his bracer to keep it warm and very carefully removes his mask and identifying armor as he walks, sticking it into a different seal. It's an open secret he’s ANBU so it's good enough for now.

As they enter the hospital Naruto stirs but surprisingly doesn't cry. He screws up his face and sighs into his breastplate but is otherwise quiet.

Dog finds that fairly relieving. He doubts the kid would be all that calm if he felt Hawk was still in serious danger.

Racoon finds him as they drowsily inspect the selection of gift shop toys, picking out a stuffed rabbit.

“Kakashi,” he greets, also out of mask.

“Shichi,” he returns. “She’s fine now?”

He nods, smiling grimly.

“They checked and he was right, a chakra bleed. She looked fine after the birth so they left her alone, and were getting ready to send her home. It was slow enough not to be noticed under the drugs and placed behind a node where her husband couldn't see it if he looked, really unusual circumstances. It would have been lethal in a couple days left untreated, but they cauterized it shut, drained the excess, and gave her an infusion so she's gonna be fine.”

He grinned. “You shoulda seen the kind of _shit_ the medic tried to give me, she had no symptoms that couldn't be explained by the labor, thought I was out of my mind. I told her a baby sensor halfway across the village can tell something’s wrong, she needs to check it. Her husband agrees with me so she does, you shoulda _seen_ her face when the reading came back-”

Kakashi snorts. “At least we caught it in time.”

He passes a stuffed rabbit to Naruto who takes to his task of hugs with sleepy gusto.

They're allowed to see them but warned she may still be asleep from surgery.

She is actually awake, if a little loopy from anesthesia.

“Naru-chan!” she whisper-shouts, beaming. “I heard you saved the day!”

She has one hand mindlessly clenched in her husband’s sleeve as he cradles baby Hanabi. Mikoto is in a chair next to the bed, asleep or pretending to be, probably hoping to trick Hitomi into resting. 

As expected, she squints an eye open to look at them, giving up on the façade and stretching with a smile, making grabby hands towards Naruto, who goes without fuss.

“I have food,” Kakashi offers, ready to give up his share and eat later. He pulls over and settles into the last free chair, unsealing the bag and digging through.

“We ate earlier,” Mikoto says, nodding toward Hiashi, “and Hitomi isn't allowed solids until the doctor’s cleared her and she’s less high.”

She nods in agreement, smiling widely.

“I’m good,” Shichi agrees tiredly, “the wife is gonna stuff me when I get home, would probably cry if I can't finish my dinner.

“Your loss then,” he says cheerfully, smothering the instinctive _‘that's what she said’_. He pulls out a thing of ramen and chopsticks and passes the rest to Mikoto to handle with Naruto.

She decides ramen is a bit too messy and pulls out rice balls and cold tea, as well as something that might be a cookie, sealing the rest back into a seal on her arm without even a wince at the burn.

Hell of a woman, Mikoto, sitting through a sealing kinjutsu just so she can’t be disarmed. She’s the only person he knows besides him to have one. Shame she’s married. Shame her husband is too straight to be convinced without tequila or hardcore narcotics.

He vacuums up his ramen, then the second when Mikoto insists, but offers the fishcakes to Naruto who nibbles on them sleepily.

Not long after this baby Hanabi wakes up, wailing loudly, so they help Hitomi sit up a little to breastfeed

She fusses and won't to latch, stubbornly _refusing_ to be soothed. 

Hitomi looks distressed, starting to sniffle a little herself, much to her husband’s quiet alarm.

Naruto squirms in Mikoto's arms, wanting to be next to the howling infant.

Hitomi scoots over a little as best she's able and Mikoto sits him next to her on the bed.

He reaches over and puts a hand on one kicking foot.

"'S okay Hanabi-chan," he whispers, and the kicking slows. "It's not so bad out here. Here you get your Mama, and me, and Dog and Racoon and Dragon, so it's okay."

"Your Dad too," Mikoto points out, amused.

He nods seriously. "Dad too."

She goes perfectly quiet, flexing her toes into his hand. 

Mikoto props her chin into her hand as she watches. 

"Well I'll be damned, the kid is magic I guess."

Still in her mother's arms, as soon as he started patting her foot she went calm.

"She just feels like she's all alone now," he informs the room. "Now she can't just _feel_ her Mama."

There's a moment of silence.

"Well," Mikoto sighs, "if the sensor says so, it must be. Try a little chakra when you've got your legs under you, okay 'Tomi?"

She gives a thumbs up and strokes Naruto's head with one hand. He cuddles into her side.

Shichi pushes off the wall.

"Ma, I should head off then, face my wife. She'll probably want to send food, should I bring it here or the compound?"

"The compound," Hiashi says, still hovering. “They will likely send her home in the morning."

Shichi nods and poofs away.

"Oh you do use words," Makoto teases lightly, smirking at him. "I was beginning to wonder."

He sighs like she's incredibly trying and leans a little more into his wife's side.

Hitomi pats his chest. 

"Don't worry," she grins, "he's plenty loud at home!" 

She waggles her eyebrows, leaving absolutely nothing free to interpretation.

Hiashi goes red and covers his face with his hands while Mikoto cackles and Kakashi wiggles his eyebrows back.

"You are so high," she chokes, wiping her eyes, "I'm not letting you forget you said that!"

Eventually they disperse for what's left of the night, Kakashi going home to sleep, leaving Naruto with Mikoto who brings him home for a nap and breakfast and to play with Sasuke.

The Hokage probably wouldn't agree, so they just won't ask. It’s hardly a dereliction of duty, he's well protected in a clan full of powerful ninja for a while. Anyone that starts shit in the Uchiha district deserves the hundreds of angry arsonists they earn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, carelessly bullshitting medical stuff so i dont have to kill off a character: you cant catch me _angsty thoughts-_
> 
> Yeah, im gonna tell you right now this is a no-one dies/no-one important dies kinda story. I dont believe in tragedies and i DO believe in kickass women. (Did you know hinata's mother doesnt even have a canon name? Because she _doesnt._ I cannot even.)


	5. Moving House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto leaves Madam Koishi's behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bridge chapter between hanabi's birth and what would have been the hyuuga incident, so enjoy some uncomplicated fluff!
> 
> (Not completely happy with the conversation in the begining, feels a little stilted, but a neccesary evil since im tired of rewriting it.)

After Hanabi is born, things change again.

The day after, Naruto meets Hokage-jiji again for the first time since his birthday. 

They go to him instead of the other way around, Dog scooping him up in the morning, putting him in a set of ‘outside clothes’ and sandals right after breakfast, whooshing them in front of a big red and orange building he faintly remembers seeing when Jiji brought him around everywhere for his birthday.

Dog flickers them up the wall and through an open window. Right before he does he flashes his chakra in _a peppery feeling like licking a battery._ It’s offensive and makes his nose itch.

Naruto sneezes and gives Dog a stinky look as they slip inside, smacking his breastplate in reprimand.

He snorts and makes a face back behind the mask and Jiji covers his mouth to hide a smile. 

There’s that same faint scent like something burning and ink and just a hint of chakra smoke like someone had just poofed out. There's a desk with a chair in front of it, a little spiky plant Yamanaka-san called an _Aloe Vera_ to one side weighing down a stack of paper.

Dog sits down in the chair, settling Naruto on his lap nonchalantly. Jiji raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything.

 _He_ has masks too, one on the ceiling and one that seemed to be hiding in his desk somehow. 

He waves at the one on the ceiling that feels kinda _dark-warm_ like Racoon and she pokes a hand out of concealment long enough to wave back before vanishing again.

He pats the desk to say hi and feels a muffled sort of amusement and a knock back. 

Neat.

Like last time, Jiji offers him a cookie and a smile, nudging the little desk plant towards him. Dog grabs it for him and places it on his lap. He reflexively wraps his arms around it, checking Jiji's chakra as he does to make sure it's definitely okay.

It is, so he hugs it, leaves prickling at his chest while he nibbles his treat. It's chakra is a little cooler than Hari-chan, minty like the hospital was. It's kinda neat, sleepier. 

“So, Naruto-kun, I heard you got to save the day yesterday.”

“Uh, I guess so?” he offers dubiously, scrunching his nose. Hawk said something like that too so he guesses it must be true. He wiggles a little in his seat and Dog keeps him from falling off.

“You did a very good thing, telling when you did,” Jiji tells him, smiling fondly. “Hyuuga-san says if they didn’t say something they probably wouldn't have found it in time.” Naruto’s lip wobbles a little and Dog hugs him gently. 

Jiji presses on. “-That’s why we wanted to know how you could tell something was wrong, so maybe we can tell for next time, okay? Can you tell us?”

Sad forgotten, Naruto frowns, squinting at him like he's waiting for the punchline. 

“She, she was all, all _white_ , and icky and _wrong_. It was _bad._ ”

Jiji is still smiling, but his chakra gains a razor-thin edge of focus, like he’s listening really, _really_ hard.

“You’re very special Naru-chan, a sensor. Not everyone can feel chakra like you can.”

Naruto stares at him.

“Eh? But- it’s right there!” he waves his arms meaningfully. Then, more doubtfully, “Really-?”

“Really.”

He sits back, feeling Dog’s amusement. “That's so _weird_.”

Dog prods him to finish his cookie and he takes an absent bite. Mm, chocolate.

“Can you tell me what you mean by white?” Jiji asks, encouraging. “When do you see _white_ in chakra?”

The chewing slows, thoughtful. “Hurt. but like, inside? When it hurts so much that's all that's there. It’s all… blank. Bleeding? Hawk isn’t supposed to feel like that even a little, it's _bad_.”

The ambient chakra of the room does an odd little swoop, like a hiccup, then goes back to a neutral baseline.

“Do you feel chakra like that a lot, Nacchan?” Dog asks concerned.

“Outside feels a lot like that-” he says shrugging, “-and some of the pretty Neechans can’t look at me without going all white and choked. My old one felt like that all the time before her ‘Mental Breakdown’.” 

He sounds out the words carefully like the matron had said them. He nods to himself and takes another bite of cookie. Dog sighs and hugs him. Naruto pats his arm comfortingly.

“I'm very sorry you had to feel that, Naruto,” Jiji says, looking serious. “I was unaware it was quite that bad. How would you feel about living somewhere else?”

Naruto feels Dog startle a bit and cocks his head back to look at him.

Jiji misunderstands.

“Dog and the other ANBU would go with you there, of course, at least part of the time, so you wouldn't need to worry about that. What do you think?”

“Uh,” he says, not really understanding but not caring either. “Okay?” 

“It’s settled then,” he states, brightly. Naruto feels like he missed something. “I have a place in mind already, so you can move in a couple of days, okay? Dog, come back when you drop him off and I’ll give you the details. I assume I can leave security to you?”

His tone is wry, teasing, and Dog feels just slightly sheepish.

“Of course Hokage-sama,” he agrees, saluting from his seat.

Jiji gives him a long look, then smiles again. He turns his attention back to Naruto.

“Why don’t you take that with you Naru-kun?” he offers, pointing to the plant he’s still holding. “It seems happy with you.”

Naruto gets the feeling he’s being messed with but nods anyway, cradling the pot to his chest. He stuffs his last bite of cookie into his mouth to free his other hand and his cheeks bulge like a chipmunk.

Dog scoops the both of them up and whooshes them away. 

.

His new place is in a block of apartments pinched between the civilian and ninja districts. He's closer now to Hawk - who says she should be called _Hitomi_ out of mask - and to Dragon and Raccoon. Dog, who apparently lives in the ninja district is close enough they’re basically neighbors, just three buildings away. He has been told in no uncertain terms that if something happens and he needs help he is to go straight to Dog, now known as _Kakashi._

The new names are weird, but not as weird as his apartment.

He's the only one living in the building and it's weird how quiet it is. It's nice weird though, even if the walls inside are white.

It also has more space than he’s ever had in his life. It has a bedroom and a bathroom with a shower and a main room with a little kitchen and a washing machine stuck in a cupboard. The floors are wood now, not squishy foam and it's a little strange but not too bad.

It has a little tiny covered balcony with _window boxes_ and really that’s the best thing.

Kakashi shows him a little squiggly pattern on the edge of each door frame and says to put a little blood on it in an emergency and his masks will come and get him, okay? Naruto agrees but is way too distracted by greeting the little white flowers waiting for him.

Kakashi sighs like _he’s_ the unreasonable one, ruffling his hair and leaving him to it.

He introduces Hari-chan to the Aloe Vera he’s calling _Yuki_ , and then the flowers who don't feel like they’d like names yet. He leaves them outside on the wide rail and goes to explore.

Kakashi takes him shopping for food and kitchen stuff, then takes him for ramen to celebrate. Raccoon drops by while they eat to give Naruto a housewarming gift, a bag with some seed packets and soil pellets courtesy of ‘an annoying blonde’.

Kakashi raises an amused eyebrow and Racoon, who says to call him _Shichi_ , just raises an eyebrow right back.

.

He settles in pretty easily, as it is.

Racc- _Shichi-san_ teaches him how to turn seed pellets into planters and plant little seeds, showing him how to grow chives and mint and his flowers that turn out to be strawberries.

 _Hitomi-san_ visits less often now she has a new baby, usually only once a week or so, usually with Hanabi strapped to her chest and sometimes with Hinata too.

She feels worn enough with Hanabi all the time now that Naruto doesn’t let her do lots, so he and Hinata make snacks and sometimes she even lets him give Hanabi a bottle!

Someone always comes to check on him in the morning and to make sure he eats Dinner and brushes his teeth but mostly he’s by himself during the day. Sometimes he can con Kakashi into spending the nights over but mostly they let him have his own space, flitting around to check on him.

Kakashi starts teaching him how to read, pulling out Mikoto-san’s books at bedtime. He follows the words with his finger as he reads aloud, stopping sometimes to explain something or make sure he understands. Soon he can sort of follow along with his favorite, trading off to work his way through a couple of sentences, then Kakashi reads to the end of the page.

Most times it’s Mikoto-san that makes sure he eats, sometimes bringing him food, and sometimes sending Itachi to collect him for dinner and a sleepover. Sasuke is kind of a lot at first, but also a lot like his mom so he’s okay. Itachi is kind of like Shichi-san, sort of, like his everything is slower and deeper, like a pond with fish in it, only little ripples on the surface when they move. 

Sasuke kindly agrees to share his Nii-san since Naruto doesn’t have one and Itachi just nods like that's completely normal while Mikoto-san giggles and Fugaku-san completely ignores them.

He accidentally on purpose calls Kakashi Nii-san, since he’s kinda like his Itachi, and Kakashi doesn’t say anything but his chakra wobbles and he gets extra cuddles so that’s okay right? Right.

.

His masks let him wander farther than they used to, now that he’s living by himself. The handful of times he had been out before, they would encourage him to stay in somewhat populated places, gently correcting his course as necessary. Then, when he started getting tired, someone would come and scoop him up, dropping him into his room.

He still has one or two of them watching him, checking in on him every half an hour on the dot, but they don't just hover anymore, and they don't stop him from going where he wants, just watching to see where he goes.

It’s pleasant, and lets him go visit a few of the places he saw before and wanted to see. The flower shop is just as cool as he remembers, and Mr. Yamanaka lets him help in one of the little greenhouses out back, showing him how to harvest garlic and plant cuttings so they’ll grow by themselves.

He doesn't let Naruto help, but he does show him how to splice cuttings from one plant to another, and he watches wide-eyed as he grafts a cutting from an orange tree and a peach tree onto an apple sapling.

Mr. Yamanaka says if he keeps coming back to help and proves he can take care of it, he can have one of the weird frankensteined ‘fruit salad’ trees for his next birthday.

He’s gonna come over _every day_. 

One of Mr. Yamanaka’s friends, a plump, cheerful lady with pretty red hair, calls him _absolutely darling_ and whisks him off for afternoon tea and snacks. She teaches him how to make dumplings!! His are shaped a little funky, but they taste good anyway.

None of his masks check on him in that time, but Shichi-san strolls casually in his plainclothes not long after the food is served, ruffling his hair and swiping a dumpling, dodging her playful smack and strolling back out again.

True to his word, he visits every day, saying hi and asking to help out. After the third day, Mr. Yamanaka gently shoos him off, telling him to come by in a few days instead. 

He does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to clarify, from an adult perspective, just what _white_ means to Naruto as a sensor, because it's a little more than what he's got words for, and it's relevant later on. Pardon if it comes out a little overly poetic:
> 
> White is an enduring numbness, frostbite, an injury gone necrotic. It's a pain and a hurt so old it's dug its roots into you and gone dead and _toxic_. It's being hurt for so long you've forgotten you're not okay, it's being broken in ways you feel cant be fixed, it's looking down at a baby boy who looks just like your idol, who _killed him and all your family,_ and all you want to do is lash out, to make him _white_ like everything else you feel, white is the color of funeral clothes, laying white roses on a child-sized coffin, white is _pain_.
> 
> In Hitomi's case, "white" is more of a _hollow_ pain, a physical pain, not a mental one. it's a lethal injury, a death by a thousand cuts. Naruto does not have the experience to interpret this and just knows something is Very Wrong with his loved one. eventually, he'll get better words, but for now, he's four years old, so this will have to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to chat at me in the comments!
> 
> My main tumblr is [here](http://littlemisswingsandthings.tumblr.com) but if you only want to chat about/get updates one my work here, feel free to HMU [here](http://quinsvaloria.tumblr.com).


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